what dog breed to get

I just went with a Boxer also:

I have had many different breeds of dogs, including Coon Hounds of various breeds, Beagles, Schnauzers, and Blue and Red Heelers, I went with a Boxer this time because I do have small children. I wanted a Mastiff, however, I didn't want a large dog....just a medium sized one.
 
Boxer people here too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif This is our 3rd Boxer, Rayna.

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They are great dogs. They're screwballs, full of energy, good with kids, but they can be good watch dogs and be intimidating. They like to be lap dogs and need attention. They aren't a dog to get and be left outside chained up all the time. With that said, each breed has it's traits, but each dog is an individual. Do your research and see what fits your family the best. One good place to look is AKC.org and you can look at info on all different breeds.
Good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Every dog is different and each individual dog has their own drives and character traits. Each drive is different as are the traits. Dog breeders breed dogs for a specific look or traits desires. Example: Cattle dogs (many different types) Retrievers, etc etc.

Traits: Courage, Hardness, Softness, Sharpness, Confidience, Temperment, Sensory Threshold (amount of stimuli to get a reaction)

Drives: Hunting, tracking, air scenting, retrieve, prey (bite/kill wont let go in tug of war), Fight, Guard, protection, rank, trainability, survival, homing, play, activity and pack.

Drives in dogs can be enhanced or diminished. Traits cant. So you want a dog thats a good family pet (pack drive) will also warn you of intruders, (guard drive) and protect you and family (protection.) A German Shepard is a perfect dog for that. Very smart too. They need room just like most larger breed working dogs do, but if you start your training (obediance early) it will work out well for you. There are several other dogs that meet your same requirements; Mastiffs, Boxers, Doberman Pinchers, Rots, Akitas (tend to be agressive), etc etc. etc.

I have owned several dogs over the years and work with one every day as my partner for work, however, the best family dog we've ever had was one we saved from the pound.
 
with children i would be scared of any large dog. just 1 bite could be serious. maybe the kid tries to reach down and take away a favorite toy or a piece of food just wanting to play and the dog snaps. Happened to me when i was little. luckily it was a small puncture wound but from a very large akita that had never snapped for 2 years. had i been bitten on the face it could have been alot worse.

get a little dog or other small bread that is great with kids and a loving pack animal that is even tempered. my beagle is just a tiny little thing. Scares the heck out of some little children and easily knocks down kids up to 5 years old. and can scratch their face.perfect house pet an amazing hunter can be trained to track anything that walks on the ground. If the kids are a little bigger maybe a good old lab or golden retriever are also very kid friendly.

get an alarm system for the house and keep your shot gun at hand and maybe some good pepper spray but obviously where its not possible for kids to get into it. I think alot of barking is enough that it is going to send most criminals onto the next house.
 
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My grandkids have bitten, pulled and tugged every part of our boxers and they just lay there. My grandson even taught one how to play tag. With a tree as base the dog would chase him all over, but when he touched the tree and said this is base .......the dog sat and waited for him to move away from the tree......when she caught up to him, he okay ......you're it and the dog ran to the tree and put her paw on it!

Very loyal and protective.

Pop
 
A couple of things to look at. Anything you get off of here may very well be base on there favorite breed. Second stay as far away from small and toy breeds as you can. They bite more often than big dogs. Small kids tend to be rough with dogs and the small ones can't handle it very low pain tolerance and they bite to get away. You have described an alarm dog and most any will do even one from the pound. My first suggestion would be go check out the local dog pound you can check them out and maybe find an owner turn in. They would have history on it. If that doesn't work check your local AG review. Figure out what your willing to pay. As mentioned above an Airedale is a great dog but will require some grooming a hair cut once or twice a year. Most Airedale have moderate to high hunt drive and if left loose could cause a problem. If it will be left loose stay away from hunting breeds. Just do your home work and ask questions.
 
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Dont know if all Border collies make good watch dogs but 2 out of our 3 Border collies. Are excellent watch dogs. Nothing gets by them, and tey can sound pretty intimidating to boot. + they are pretty gentle around most everybody
 
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